Jan Templar
Colonel Jan Templar was an experienced soldier of the ISA, who helped defend Vekta against the invading Helghast forces. He enjoyed a strong son-father relationship with General Bradley Vaughton, until Vaughton was killed by the treacherous General Stuart Adams during the space defense platform crisis. Adams had been behind a plot to take control of the SD weapons platforms that were designed to protect Vekta from invasion. After uncovering the conspiracy and averting catastrophe, Templar, a Captain at the time, was regarded by many Vektans as a hero and the ultimate ISA soldier. He continued to defend Vekta from the Helghast, and was instrumental in the planning of the invasion of Helghan. He was promoted to Colonel and lead the invasion force. He was killed on board the cruiser, New Sun, by Colonel Radec, who was looking for the codes of the nuclear weapon Red Dust. He crashed the ship into the source of the Helghast defenses as a final sacrifice to defeat the Helghast. Biography Early Life Jan Templar was born in 2339 on Vekta. His mother died when he was very young, and he was taken care of by his father, Dirk Templar, who was a soldier in the ISA. Dirk was good friends with commanding officer of his regiment, Bradley Vaughton, who became a friend of the family. When Dirk died in the first Vektan war, Vaughton felt responsible for young Jan, and took the boy under his wing. Jan received his values from his mentor, godfather, and friend. Vaughton became aware of Templar's extraordinary potential, and enrolled him in the ISA military academy early. Vaughton's assessment of Templar proved correct, as the young recruit was soon taking Officer Training Classes along grizzled veterans twice his age. He joined the Rapid Reaction Force (RRF) and eventually became a captain, being one of their most decorated and experienced officers. Templar met Luger during an RRF training exercise, and promptly fell in love. Their relationship was troubled from the start, as the otherwise vivacious Luger became cold and distant whenever Templar tried to get close. In addition, both proved terribly headstrong around each other, which quickly lead to arguments. Templar didn't want Luger to stay in the military, because he couldn't bear the thought of losing her in some war. Conversely, Luger didn't feel like staying home while Templar did all the killing. In the end, Luger effectively broke off the relationship by entering the classified Shadow Marshal program in December 2356. Templar didn't have time for heartache or self pity, as the RRF intelligence center began receiving reports of an enormous surge in Helghast military activity shortly afterwords. To make matters worse, Templar was the target of an assassination attempt. During a routine defense emplacement inspection, Templar made the narrowest of escapes after being fired upon by an unseen aggressor. Ballistics experts confirmed that the rounds were fired by an army standard M82-G assault rifle, which suggested that Helghast sympathizers had managed to infiltrate ISA ranks. There was much speculation when it was discovered that the weapon came from the SD weapons platform, as it had been reported that it was stolen recently from a munitions store on the platform. The investigation was put on hold when the Helghast invasion commenced. Killzone Templar's Mission In August, 2357, when Templar was 28, the Helghast invasion of Vekta began. They pass by the malfunctioning SD platform and storm several beachheads on the planet. Templar holds on the frontlines, defending the trenches outside Vekta city. He loses radio contact with command and becomes pinned down. A private named Sanchez helps him with information on the trench defenses and eventually they hold the area. Templar is asked to help stop the Helghast who have broken into the outer urban area. Templar fights his way through the abandoned streets and is called into the H.Q. by General Vaughton. He tells Templar that the battle is going badly and that he needs to get up to the SD platform to reactivate it. He also says that a fleet from Earth will arrive in a couple of days. Vaughton then assigns Templar on a mission to rescue a spy in the slums named Colonel Gregor Hakha, who knows important information on the Helghast. The base is attacked and Templar is knocked out from the bombing of the base. He wakes up and is told by Vaughton that the security key that he needs to reactivate the platform never arrived to him. Templar offers to go get it from another part of the base. He fights off several Helghast invaders and gets the key. He is told to meet Vaughton at a warehouse near the sewer entrance. He arrives to find no one there. Suddenly an assassin appears and kills a Helghast sniper about to kill Templar. The assassin is Luger, who had graduated six weeks earlier. She says that Vaughton assigned her to the mission. Templar briefs her and says that they need to give the security key to Vaughton first. They fight their way through an abandoned train station and park. Templar slyly asks if Luger 'got laid' since they last saw each other. They come upon a Helghast platoon getting killed by one berserk soldier. They help the soldier, who tells them that Vaughton was captured and being held nearby. They rescue Vaughton and give him the key. The soldier then introduces himself as Sergeant Rico Velasquez. Vaughton asks him to join Templar and Luger, and he agrees, so long as it hurts the Helghast badly. The three search through the slums and come upon the mall Hakha was last known to be. The soldiers are all dead bar one, who tells them that Hakha is being held in a building by Helghast, who are preparing to trap the team, and then dies. The team fight through the trap and clear the way to Hakha. As they rescue him, they realize that he is half Helghast, which surprises the team, especially Rico, who tries to execute him. Hakha quickly takes Templars gun to kill an approaching Helghast. Templar tells the team to move out and find a way to the ISA fortress in the swamps, which will take Hakha safely off the planet. The SD Platform Crisis They come move through the docks and help several pinned down ISA squads, as well as clearing out a few Helghast outposts. Hakha asks that he be allowed to use a computer to hack into the ISA mainframe to process data and discover the exact computer on the SD platform, which he believes has fallen to the Helghast. Rico doesn't trust him, and pulls a gun on him. Luger pulls a knife on Rico as she trusts Hakha. Templar fires his gun into the air and shouts out a speech to get them to start acting like soldiers. He gives Hakha three minutes to do what he has to do. Hakha discovers that the computer under Helghast control is General Stuart Adams' personal computer. Suddenly a beam of energy from the weapons platform is fired on the fortress. They discover that the traitor Adams and the Helghast have control of the weapon and could destroy the approaching Earth fleet. Templar decides to head for the remains of the fortress in the hopes that there is an up-link to the weapons platform so that they can stop Adams. They take two boats, but crash in the swamps after nearly getting hit by Helghast rockets. Templar wakes up on top of Luger and jokes about remembering this. They are attacked by a Helghast patrol, but manage to defeat it and push further on. They discover a code 3-3 firebase and Templar hopes to go around it. Hakha advises that they attack it to even the odds of getting to the fortress unassailed. They attack and destroy the base quickly. They eventually make it to the fortress to find it destroyed and apparently abandoned. They access a computer to try and call for help, but are caught by an ISA soldier who tells them to stand down. He tells them that General Adams said that Vaughton tried to take over the platform but was killed by Adams. He also identifies the team as Vaughtons fellow rebels. Luger apprehends the soldier, who then flees. Templar is heartbroken after hearing about Vaughton. Hakha comes upon a Helghast radio message saying that Adams will be in a Helghast base nearby. Templar decides to go after Adams, saying that the traitor is a realistic target, instead of just wanting revenge. They defeat all of the Helghast but do not find Adams. They realize that it was a trap by Adams that failed. A furious Rico threatens Hakha again, believing that Hakha tricked them. After being convinced by Luger, Templar orders Rico to stop. They decide that they have to stop Adams by heading up to the platform via another uplink in the mountains. They move on and come upon a Helghast convoy. They ambush the convoy and attack the nearby outpost. They move through a jungle and blow up a bridge over the 32nd river. They then take over a Helghast outpost and find the location of a facility that might hold a transport that will take them to the uplink. They arrive at the facility and are attacked by troops led by the Helghast commander, General Joseph Lente. They defeat Lente and his bodyguards, and plan to take his shuttle. Lente tells Hakha that he is a traitor to his people and that he had his brother shot for his betrayal. Hakha shoots his former superior and the team take the shuttle. They head as close to the uplink as they can without being shot down by Helghast soldiers. Luger tries to talk to Templar about what will happen once this is all over, to which Templar replies that it will never be over. They push through the mountains and several Helghast camps until they finally make it to the orbital transfer station where the uplink to the platform is. They get in the uplink shuttle and fly to the platform. Upon arrival they have to fight Helghast soldiers waiting for them. They see the UCN fleet arrive and one of their ships being destroyed by Adams. The fleet then begin attacking the platform. Luger tells the others to go to different parts of the ship to disable it and to find a way to contact the fleet to stop them from firing until they can stop Adams and escape. Templar goes to the control room and confronts Adams after killing his Helghast guards. Adams tells him that the Helghast will never give up and in the end the ISA don't stand a chance. He tells him that his friends are captured, and several Helghast soldiers arrive as Adams runs. Templar holds some of them off alone and is eventually aided by the others who escaped capture. They hold the remaining Helghast while Templar goes after Adams. Templar is attacked by Adams, but easily defeats and seemingly kills him (although he survives the battle he is killed shortly afterwards by falling debris). The platform begins breaking up in the wake of renewed bombardment by Earth's fleet and the team escape to the shuttle, which is unfortunately stuck due to a problem with the fuel line. Hakha goes out to remove it but gets trapped under the large fueling hose as the enemy catches up. Templar and Rico go out to give him support against the surviving Helghast soldiers and they get him back just in time as the shuttle automatically flies out. As their ship flies through space they watch the UCN fleet destroy the platform and make preparations to aid the ISA on the planet. Luger mentions that the Helghast will probably be back but Templar looks at Rico and Hakha saying that they will be ready to meet them when they do. Templar and the rest of the team are awarded the Silver Sun for stopping the space defence platform crisis but for him, who had lost his mentor and friend to Adams' treachery, the reward held no meaning. Plans for Invasion Formation of the Special Forces By January 2358, the Helghast are driven off of the planet, but not before stealing the nuclear weapon Red Dust. Templar fought in the decisive battle for Vekta on the Northern Plains. By the end of the conflict, most of the ISA armed forces lay in shattered ruins. Caught by surprise and subjected to months of high intensity combat, few ISA units were organised by the book when the fighting stopped. Losses were particularly high amongst Templar's old unit - the Rapid Reaction Force - which had to be disbanded. As the senior surviving RRF officer, and hero of the defense of Vekta, Templar was promoted to colonel and given the task of rebuilding ISA Vekta's Special Forces. He was told to put special attention on the reliability of the men he picked - Vekta had suffered enough from traitors in her ranks. Fortunately the invasion had created a ready supply of young combat veterans with revenge against the Helghast as their primary motivation. Drawing upon his experience against the Helghast, Templar created an organization of small squads of four to five people. Due to the small size of the units and the nature of their deployment, they were picked for their aggression, initiative, and resourcefulness. Every single team member needed combat experience. Templar handpicked each of his eight team leaders, and the team leaders then worked with the colonel to fill the slots in their individual teams. Every single member of the Special Forces had been handpicked by Templar. When Templar started selecting his team leaders, his first choice was Rico, who gladly accepted. Rico and Templar began the selection of the remaining members of Alpha Squad immediately - a process that did not run according to plan. Rico pick for second-in-command, Shawn Natko, turned down the promotion but opted to be in the team in the number three slot. Templars choice of second-in-command, along with the teams fourth member perished in a grenade throwing accident and Alpha was pulled out of training to reform. To replace the dead second-in-command, Templar proposed a young sergeant who had impressed him with his skill and determination - Sergeant First Class Tomas Sevchenko who Templar saw a little bit of himself in. Sev suggested his friend Dante Garza be chosen for the teams fourth slot. Templar and Rico were initially doubtful due to Garza's dysfunctional and sarcastic nature, but Sev eventually convinced them and Garza proved himself during training. Operation Archangel The Vektan Council decided that they need to get rid of the Helghast Autarch Scolar Visari and try to end this aggression that the Helghast have against them. They decide that they need to capture Visari and put him on trial and reclaim the stolen nuclear weapons. By 2359, they organise an invasion and a fleet. When the first planning for Operation Archangel had been completed, the council found Templar as the best fit for overall ground commander. He worked on the details of the operation with councilor Evelyn Batton and was tasked with specific responsibility for the capture of Visari for public trial and recovery of Red Dust. In 2360, a large fleet of ISA ships is prepared and leaves for a two week long journey to Helghan. The first wave destroys most of the fleet but is wiped out when it begins a ground assault, and so Colonel Templar leaves with the second wave of ships, and leads the fleet from the flagship cruiser New Sun. Killzone 2 Before leaving Vekta, Templar wishes Rico and Sev good luck on their mission as he will not be on the battlefield this time. After two weeks the fleet reaches Helghan. A massive weapon called the Arc Battery, as well as smaller ones called Arc Towers, prevent the fleet from getting too close to the capital city Pyrrhus, where Palace is. The Avenger Convoy led by Captain Jason Narville, began an assault on the city but, got pinned down in Visari Square. Templar orders a Punisher convoy down to assist them. He sends Alpha team to lead them to Narville's men and spearhead the assault on the capital. He wishes Rico well one last time before he heads out with Alpha. Templar guides Alpha on the radio and calls an air strike from the cruiser on a dam full of Helghast. Punisher convoy gets to Narville's men, and with Alpha's help, they push through past the Corinth River. As they move on, a weapon known as the Arc Pillar shoots out a field of electricity and prevents the ISA from moving further. The Arc weapons are powered by an unstable mineral ore known as Petrusite, and Evelyn discovers that they all have a power source that comes from the wastelands south of the city. Templar sends Alpha to escort Evelyn to find the source of the weapons. The team discover that there is a grid outside of the city and if they destroy it, the ISA can push through to the palace. Garza is killed during the mission however, and the team return to the New Sun. The ISA ships are suddenly attacked by the remainder of the Helghast fleet and they board the New Sun and quickly overrun it. Templar desperately tries to organize the defense and find a way to destroy the Petrusite grid as well, but the battle is going badly. He orders Sev to help the defense, who actually saves a lot of evacuating soldiers. Templar and Evelyn decide that they need to crash the ship into the grid. Templar orders the evacuation and prepares to sacrifice himself to stop the Helghast. Colonel Radec, commander of the Helghast defense forces, enters the bridge with two of his bodyguards. He approaches Templar and the two mention that they wished they could have met each other on the battlefield as soldiers. Sacrifice and Death Templar has Evelyn secretly delete the data for the nuclear codes, knowing that is what Radec wants. Radec asks for the codes, to which Templar lies saying that his access clearance has been revoked. Radec doesn't believe him but Templar refuses to give him the codes. Radec shoots Evelyn, in anger Templar tries to fight Radec hand to hand, but is no match for the colonel, who shoots Templar in the chest repeatedly. Radec leaves with the code data, as the ship falls apart. Templar crawls to the control panel and, in his last act, crashes the cruiser into the grid. 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